Recommended Posts

Earth population 'exceeds limits'

earth-science.jpg

There are already too many people living on Planet Earth, according to one of most influential science advisors in the US government. Nina Fedoroff told the BBC One Planet programme that humans had exceeded the Earth's "limits of sustainability".

- Current world population - 6.8+bn

- Net growth per day - 218,030+

- Forecast made for 2040 - 9+bn

Source

Earth population 1980 - 4,453,831,714+

Earth population by 2020 - 7,584,821,144+

Earth population by 2050 - 9,346,399,468+

Source

With the price tag of "standard of living" going up and up each year, with more people going below the poverty line, less jobs becoming available with more people claiming benefits, when it too much, enough?

What's the answer? Cut down on the love making, or is it time to move onto the Space race of liveable space stations/another planet (Mars)?

It was already too much many decades ago. The earth under normal natural conditions has a maximum capacity for about 1 billion people, yet we keep stressing the planet even further to suit our needs. At some point, something's going to give. Food supplies are already short in many parts of the world and current energy resources are getting thinner (not saying that if everyone starts investing in alternative energies that nothing more can be gained). That space race isn't going to happen in the next 50 years (Mars) and we won't be able to colonize other planets in time before we suffocate.

At some point it will either be voluntary sterilisation or some form of war that will sterilise/erradicate a big chunk of humanity for the planet's resources, there's no doubt about that. Humanity has become a plague that feeds of the planet like a parasite.

/grim

  • Like 2
It was already too much many decades ago. The earth under normal natural conditions has a maximum capacity for about 1 billion people, yet we keep stressing the planet even further to suit our needs. At some point, something going to give. Food supplies are already short in many parts of the world.

Can you provide a source for that? Because I disagree, and my evidence is the fact that we are 6 billion+ people and there is still more space.

As for the comment on food supplies, the fact is that we have enough food to feed everyone in the world right now. It doesn't happen because we don't distribute it correctly, leaving some people with nothing and leaving others with so much that they end up wasting what they have. Source.

yeah just wait for the day when we have a "third sex"... aka you where fixed at birth... you are still a male or female, just never will reproduce... done just to reduce the population randomly

Can you provide a source for that? Because I disagree, and my evidence is the fact that we are 6 billion+ people and there is still more space.

As for the comment on food supplies, the fact is that we have enough food to feed everyone in the world right now. It doesn't happen because we don't distribute it correctly, leaving some people with nothing and leaving others with so much that they end up wasting what they have. Source.

and most places there are a shortage of food its because of the location they are at... like in parts of africa where its hard to support large crops of food and has to be brought in from other locations

Can you provide a source for that?

It's a quote by many biologists and it's been quoted by Sir David Attenborough on many occasions in his documentaries. The keywords are "natural conditions", because what we are all living under and reshaping the earth to suit our needs are unnatural conditions.

I find it hilarious people worry about this problem. Trust me, if there's too many of us, the Earth will take care of that all by itself.

A better question is how many people can the Earth comfortably support, which, since we haven't stopped reproducing, is apparently more than how many we have right now. That's an issue humans can self regulate.

I'd also like to point out that along with these "fewer jobs, more poverty" claims comes advances in medical care and technology unheard of 50 years ago. If resources are really the issue, we could give a lot of it up, fewer people could work at manufacturing jobs, and we could drop the life expectancy some.

Really, so some how figured out that there are to many people and think the growth should stop? There have been people over the last 400 to 500 years claiming there were to many people in the world, whats any different now?

Sorry, but the science doesn't add up, there is more then enough resources and capacity to handle. The majority of the world is open and un-used. The resource constrains are man-made. The majority of the scientist making these claims alarmist who make these forecast that never come true or that are never held to account for.

As countries develop, the population growth will eventually stabilize and possibly reverse. Statistics have already shown that while we are living much much longer, we are also choosing to have kids later in life on average. Can't find any scholarly sources that are free to the internet. Really wish the sources that you have access to through college libraries were open to the public.

there's a fantastic TED Talk (13 mins) in which the speaker shows how religion affects birth rates around the world. The point to take away from it (towards the end) is that religion doesnt affect birth rate, women are having fewer and fewer children, and the global population will level out at 10bil.

There are two different things here (physical vs resources) - the Earth physically can easily sustain 10+ billion people. The whatif on xkcd said you can cram all the people in Earth in the state of Rhode Island. Resources wise, we should be able to sustain more people, but we may have to change habits for that.

I say we find something useful to do with all that space in Russia :p

Although seriously, I think at some point in the future to remain sustainable, we're going to have to probably start heading down a very GM centric route in regards to animal & plant production.

  • Like 2

I don't see how the above is any different than the last 8000 years hell the last 50-70 gave us the green revolution

That ship has set sail a long long time ago...

Overpopulation is a myth. Every person on Earth could fit into the land area of Texas and have a comfortable living area to themselves. Yes, some places on Earth are crowded and some places simply can't be populated, but there is a lottttt of room that can be used. The US alone probably has the capacity for billions of people. Granted it would involve cutting down a lot of trees, but it's possible.

http://overpopulatio...aking-of-a-myth

  • Like 2

Overpopulation is a myth. Every person on Earth could fit into the land area of Texas and have a comfortable living area to themselves. Yes, some places on Earth are crowded and some places simply can't be populated, but there is a lottttt of room that can be used. The US alone probably has the capacity for billions of people. Granted it would involve cutting down a lot of trees, but it's possible.

http://overpopulatio...aking-of-a-myth

It's more about having the resources to comfortably sustain ourselves and being able to continually replenish our resources, rather than how much space we have. Hence why the issue is more considered as sustainability rather than overcrowding.

I think there is plenty of space like some of you mentioned, but we have to learn to take care of our resources and environment and then we will be fine. If we do not then we will start to perish due to lack of food, water, energy we use to do the work, disease, pollution, etc.

I say we find something useful to do with all that space in Russia :p

Although seriously, I think at some point in the future to remain sustainable, we're going to have to probably start heading down a very GM centric route in regards to animal & plant production.

youre right about a "very GM centric route" but there are a LOT of GM crops already. even animals are mass produced. kinda sickening to think about, but necessary, unfortunately.

again, the issue isnt about the land mass necessary to sustain the population - there's plenty of that. it's all about the resources.

youre right about a "very GM centric route" but there are a LOT of GM crops already. even animals are mass produced. kinda sickening to think about, but necessary, unfortunately.

again, the issue isnt about the land mass necessary to sustain the population - there's plenty of that. it's all about the resources.

If you were present with the ancestors of the crops before humans started medaling with them you would think you were on Pandora

This GM has already happened, Its been happening for thousands of years.

It's more about having the resources to comfortably sustain ourselves and being able to continually replenish our resources, rather than how much space we have. Hence why the issue is more considered as sustainability rather than overcrowding.

There are ample resources, though they are finite and non-replenish-able. Contrary to popular belief, we can end world hunger. As for sustainability, the answer lies in how much better off one wants to be than the next guy.Overpopulation is only a challenge for someone who wants the cake and eat it too.

Earth population 'exceeds limits'

There are already too many people living on Planet Earth, according to one of most influential science advisors in the US government. Nina Fedoroff told the BBC One Planet programme that humans had exceeded the Earth's "limits of sustainability".

And how does she know that exactly? No one has surveyed the earth's resources to determine what it can sustain. Furthermore, we have a situation where a large amount of the population is starving and without access to clean water, shelter, or basic medication, yet there are others who waste (the west) vast amounts of food, energy, and water. As well as hoarding wealth and resources that could be shared throughout the world and give everyone a good standard of living. The John Travolta's of this world, with their private planes and runways, and gigantic mansions make me sick. All the while people are dying because of simple preventable illnesses and malnutrition.

Yes there are too many people on this planet - hoarding resources that belong to all humans. Additionally, it has been shown countless times that educated humans have smaller numbers of children. So you see, if we all had equal access to the same resources and education, then the population would regulate itself.

Funny, I don't see people tripping up all over each other with over 6x more than your number there

Once again, it's not about space, it's about resources. It's funny that only a few of you seem to get that. Sure we could cram more and more into a tiny space and let the rest of the Earth be farmland, but the Earth does have its limits.

Unless humanity starts changing the way it consumes energy and other resources there will be a huge problem in the next 100 years.

Oil and food will be short and those will be sold at premium prices that most will not be able to afford.

We need different energy and food sources. And yes, even those genetically manipulated crops are showing signs of failure as many that were engineered to be resistant to certain bugs are already showing weak points and those bugs are the ones becoming resistant to those crops and eat/attack them once again.

And those that think we will level out...I think we wont, the number will rise exponentially untill some form of disaster happens or we limit population ourselves through diverse means.

Advances in medicine are one of those things that is changing the natural order of things. The survival of the fittest rule of evolution no longer applies because of it in this day and age (and this is coming from an MD).

I'm not saying what I'm doing as an MD is bad (I love helping people) but we are the ones that have changed the human population drastically from what it was 100 years ago and many people that would have died of natural causes, simply haven't and have been given a chance to procreate and increase our numbers.

If that immoratlity gene becomes reality and its use becomes widespread and we still procreate the way we do know, then the sh*t will really hit the fan, so to speak.

Once again, it's not about space, it's about resources. It's funny that only a few of you seem to get that. Sure we could cram more and more into a tiny space and let the rest of the Earth be farmland, but the Earth does have its limits.

Unless humanity starts changing the way it consumes energy and other resources there will be a huge problem in the next 100 years.

Oil and food will be short and those will be sold at premium prices that most will not be able to afford.

We need different energy and food sources. And yes, even those genetically manipulated crops are showing signs of failure as many that were engineered to be resistant to certain bugs are already showing weak points and those bugs are the ones becoming resistant to those crops and eat/attack them once again.

And those that think we will level out...I think we wont, the number will rise exponentially untill some form of disaster happens or we limit population ourselves through diverse means.

Advances in medicine are one of those things that is changing the natural order of things. The survival of the fittest rule of evolution no longer applies because of it in this day and age (and this is coming from an MD).

I'm not saying what I'm doing as an MD is bad (I love helping people) but we are the ones that have changed the human population drastically from what it was 100 years ago and many people that would have died of natural causes, simply haven't and have been given a chance to procreate and increase our numbers.

If that immoratlity gene becomes reality and its use becomes widespread and we still procreate the way we do know, then the sh*t will really hit the fan, so to speak.

The earth has apparently been feeding life for millions/billions of years, I highly doubt much is going to change in another 100

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • US citizens are paying to their government, who could use that to fund healthcare and tuition and relieve the costs of these for citizens instead of making tax breaks that overwhelmingly favor the rich. I'm not saying that tariffs are the correct solution, but what else would they be used for? What else could Trump have in mind for wanting them, if he hasn't figured out that labor costs are higher in the US?
    • I’m in need of a new chair and it sounds like the backrest cannot be locked? I also sat on a Herman miller and was devastated that it couldn’t be locked also, what is going on with chairs. I want to be able to lock the backrest into any position but not even the Herman’s do that
    • Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 Ergonomic Office Chair review: The Ikea of chairs by Steven Parker I've reviewed a few gaming chairs over the past three years or so and generally found them to score well in our reviews. SIHOO reached out asking if I was interested in taking a look at their flagship chair, the Doro C300 Pro V2. I never got the chance to check out its predecessor, but the V2 is described as an "Adaptive Ergonomic Chair." It became available to buy in April of this year. Let's get things rolling with a closer look at the specifications and features. Specifications Doro C300 Pro V2 Model Ergonomic Materials Mesh Back and Seat; Soft PU Coated Armrests Height adjustability 45.5 - 53 cm / 17.5" - 20.9" Seat (w+d) 52 x 43 - 47 cm / 20.5" x 16.9" - 18.5" (adjustable) Backrest 52 – 60 cm / 20.5" - 23.6" (adjustable) Lumbar support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Armrest adjustability 8D Bionic Armrests Rocking angle 105°, 120°, 135° (fixed) Neck support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Net weight 27.3 kg / 59.64 lbs Weight support 150 kg / 330 lbs Colors Black, White Warranty 5 years (upon registering) Price $499.99, $539.99 Introduction At first glance, it looks like a chair that in another life wants to be a Herman Miller; It certainly looks like my Aeron Remastered, but the Doro C300 Pro V2 has quite a few more features and costs quite a bit less. SIHOO says that it is made up of a "DynaCore" system that tracks your movement and synchronizes the headrest, backrest, lumbar support, and armrests as you shift, twist, or recline. They also say that the "SyncroFlex Backrest" molds to your spine, which kind of describes how the mesh fabric works in most ergonomic chairs, but anyway. Below are the meat and potatoes measurements for the chair. Here is the same tech sheet, but in inches. Durability I would be remiss to not talk about the various durability testing this chair underwent before coming to market, as this is claimed on the product page. First of all, the chair is BIFMA-, SGS-, and TÜV-certified. As for durability, the tests undergone were: 100,000 Castor cycles tested 120,000 Armrest cycles tested 120,000 Recline cycles tested 120,000 Gas lift cycles tested 60,000 Armrest durability cycles tested 120,000 Rotation cycles tested Nothing about weights testing, though. Now that's all disclosed, now onto my own personal findings. Assembly The Doro C300 Pro V2 came in two large boxes (1) (2), and everything was packed very well, protecting the different parts of the chair. In the box, there is a folded sheet that explains the 12 steps to assemble it; they are: Remove the bottom cover on the aluminum base; Insert the five legs into the aluminum base and use ten screws to fasten them; Insert the castors into the legs; Replace the bottom cover on the bottom of the aluminum base; Place the Class 4 Hydraulics gas cylinder into the aluminum base; Screw the bottom part of the arm rests, taking care of the orientation using two screws on each side; Use three torx screws to fasten the footrest to the bottom of the seat; Fasten the backrest to the seat using four torx bolts; Fasten the armrests to the backrest using four Torx bolts (two on each side), taking care to note the orientation; Place the chair onto the Class 4 Hydraulics gas cylinder; Insert the headrest into the top of the backrest; Use two torx screws to fasten the headrest to the backrest. There's also an online guide you can refer to. Carefully unpacking the two boxes took around 15 minutes because almost everything is wrapped in plastic and protective foam; the chair assembly itself took around an hour. I say in the above assembly steps to take note of the orientation, because it's not obvious which way around the bottom portion of the armrests go, and although there is an L and R on the bottom of the armrests, it also wasn't clear from the instructions which was actually left or right, facing the chair, or in the seated down orientation? Anyway, I ended up putting the bottom portions on the wrong sides, and after securing one of the armrests, I discovered that although it was on the correct side, the armrest base could rotate a full 360°, but not when bolted to the chair, so I had to remove it, rotate it, and then bolt it back on. Truly an Ikea experience! Also, to complicate things further, although all the parts are labeled from A to X (yes, that's 24 parts) unhelpfully, these letters do not appear on the parts themselves or the package with the bolts, screws, and washers. There's also a pair of protective gloves in the box, but I think they were made for much smaller hands than I have. Even my friend, who is 5.1, had difficulty putting them on. Once assembled, I needed to sit down. Anyway, as I said, it looks quite similar to my Herman Miller. And here is the back of it. If you look at the product page and on Amazon, it seems like a lot of thought has gone into the chair itself and what it's capable of, but there is no mention at all about the castors, and this is an area where I think the chair trips up quite quickly. I found it difficult to move the chair in any direction. I asked a friend who came to visit me earlier this week to test my findings, and she said that the wheels were "no good," so it definitely isn't just me. I am 6'2 myself and a big guy, I work from home and gained a few pounds from mostly staying in and the hell away from other people. However, the Doro C300 Pro V2 is rated for up to 150kg (330lbs), which in my case is used well within its max rating. Ergonomics The number of adjustments you can make, right up to setting it in nap mode — which I haven't fully tested yet — is what you'd expect from a premium chair. Yes, you can go up and down (max 7.5 cm adjustment), rock back and forth (with tilt adjustment), and lock the chair between three stages of 105°, 120°, 135°, which is not quite as flat as the AndaSeat I tested at 160°. Some thought has also gone into the "8D" armrests, too, which are cushioned but quite firm; you'll only know it if you press hard into the PU-covered tops, which give about half a centimeter, but it's enough to ensure your skin won't get awkwardly stuck to it in warmer (or sweatier) conditions. It almost feels like plastic and is very easy to keep clean. However, the armrest positions move far too easily, and I am not sure what that "elbow" function is. Maybe it is good for a short person with short arms, anyway, I never used it and kept it flat at all times. There are eight levels of adjustment for the armrests, they are: backwards, forwards, swing left/right, height up and down, tilt, and 360° rotation, which can be handy for desk clearance. As I said, the armrest pads shift far too easily, which could give off an ergonomic vibe, but who wants the armrest sliding when you are shifting weight? The height adjustability does lock into place when lifting and adjusting. Comfort This is ultimately what it boils down to at the end of the day, right? Quite a lot of reviews praise the comfort of this chair, and I don't disagree that the mesh seating is quite comfortable. I am used to the material from my daily Herman Miller. However, the backrest cannot be locked into place, and this is actually a feature; as you shift or recline yourself on the chair, the backrest moves with your body. It took some getting used to. The lumbar gives ample support, but I would have preferred an adjustable one built into the seat base, as this causes the backrest to move up and down at will. Again, as with my previous chair review, this chair is also rated for tall people, but nowhere in the product documentation does it say how tall. Being 6'2 myself, I'm happy to say that the backrest is tall and wide enough, and thought has been given to being able to adjust the neck rest, but as others have mentioned in their reviews, people as tall as 6.2ft is about the limit for the neckrest. Conclusion What I didn't like The footrest is rated for 15kg (33 lbs), which to me seems a bit light, and after looking online, it seems like a chair footrest for adults must be at least twice that rating. In all honesty, they are just hollow metal tubes, so it is not recommended to let a kid sit on them. I also feel like it doesn't really go out far enough for my height, so that kind of puts the dampener on me being able to use it regularly. I'll just have to continue to use my subwoofer as a footrest! I do not like the armrests being able to shift around as easily as they can, and they are a little too forward-positioned in the chair to comfortably sit close to my desk, because even in the lowest height position, they don't allow me to go under the desk like is possible with my Herman Miller. I also feel like this chair could have been delivered partially constructed, especially the armrests on the seat, and why the aluminum base wasn't already pre-constructed (without the castors) is baffling, considering it would have fit in one of the two boxes that way. The instructions also need to be clearer. On the pamphlet, there's an A to X listing (which is also used in the steps), but none of the physical parts use this lettering system! What I did like I'll be honest, I haven't used it for very long, just one week, and seating comfort is subjective after all! Any spills wiped straight off it, the stitching, and the lines look great, not a fray to be seen or stitch out of place. It looks kind of cool, too. My favorite feature of these seats is the nap mode. While you're not lying completely flat, it leans far back enough to make you easily doze off after a heavy gaming or working session. Overall, this chair offers plenty of comfort features. The MSRP does vary quite a bit depending on the region, at £549.99 in the UK, and €580 in Europe, and $599 before tax in the U.S. However, shipping is free, which is a bonus for such a heavy item. Is it worth it, though? At three years' warranty, I think it's a decent deal. Another firm out of Germany sent me a free replacement hydraulic gas spring for a chair that failed after almost four years, so it was well outside its two-year warranty. My advice is to always try, as you might have the same luck I did. If I could fault it at all, it would be the constant shifting of the armrests and backrest. Where to buy Although the footrest variant normally costs $539.99, it has been discounted to $469.99 on the official website in Black or White. In fact, the non-footrest variant is only $40 cheaper. On Amazon, it currently costs more at $499.99 links below. Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 for $469.99 (official website) Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 for $499.99 at Amazon US SIHOO provided a free sample without any review or pre-approval. Good to know This Amazon link is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Making US citizens pay is a prominent tool? Joke of the week…
  • Recent Achievements

    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Excellence2025 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      506
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      207
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      151
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      macoman
      62
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!